1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to steel jawed spring traps for capturing animals and more specifically is directed to a device for use with such traps that are adapted for cushioning the gripping force of the trap jaws.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Basic steel jawed spring traps have been known in the art for over 100 years. Such traps consist of two jaws that are spring biased toward one another to form a gripping mechanism when a trigger element is actuated.
Early forms of spring traps included jaws members having serrated edge portions for engaging the limbs of animals trapped therein. However, for humane purposes, such traps are no longer in use. Instead, for many years now the jaws of spring traps have been formed in the shapes of bars with smooth edges surfaces that abut against one another in a gripping action. Although spring traps with smooth jaw portions are less prone to cause serious injury to an animal trapped therein, it is still not unusual for such traps to break the bone or skin surface of a limb trapped therein or to cut off the circulation of blood in the limb causing permanent damage thereto.
Many spring traps currently being manufactured include indented portions in the jaws to provide a gap between the jaw gripping portions for the purpose of reducing the risk of serious injury to an animal trapped. Nevertheless, the likelihood of serious injury to an animal when it is trapped still exists with most present day trap designs. Accordingly, numerous states have enacted legislation prohibiting the use of spring traps unless they include some means to significantly reduce the risk of injury to animals trapped therein. One known trap modification that is currently being used to comply with such legislation is the use of straight rubber strips on the opposing jaw edges of a trap to provide a cushioning effect. This modification is helpful in decreasing the risk of injury from skin or bone breakage, but still suffers from the defect of blocking blood circulation.
The present invention provides a device adapted to be used on a spring trap to cushion and distribute the force of the gripping mechanism of the trap to significantly decrease the risk of all types of injuries to animals.